In my earlier U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,359,306 issued Nov. 16, 1982 and 4,295,772 issued Oct. 20, 1981 I described devices for forming pyramidal shocks of hay bales. Those devices require a bale stacker who rides on the skid described therein and manually stacks the bales in the device.
I have subsequently demonstrated equipment which automatically stacks bales emerging from a hay baler behind which the automatic stacker device is towed. The present invention relates to improvements and refinements of such devices.
My previous devices, which automatically formed stacks of six bales each, included a ramp for successively elevating bales to a drop table located at the rear of the device. A trip was provided for successively allowing the tripping of the drop table and allowing the bales to be collected on a collecting bed located below the drop table. The bales are, as they fall, rotate 90.degree. about their longitudinal axis so that they are dropped on their edges with the twine oriented laterally around the bale, and thus, with a cut edge at the bottom facing the ground. The machine was also provided with separator panels that are pivotally attached to the collecting bed so that as the successive bales fall they are automatically orientated in a six bale stack similar to those shown in my above-referenced, '306 patent. The bale collecting bed on the device is maintained in a horizontal position until six bales have been collected into a pyramidal stack or shock. A mechanism then trips the bed support allowing the rear of the bed to pivot downwardly toward the ground. The bales, which have a greater length than the bed and the separator panels contained thereon, then contact the ground, and the separator panels and bed are pulled away from the stack, which then remains standing in the field for further curing of the hay contained in the bales.
The foregoing devices operated satisfactorily when dry hay was being processed. However difficulties emerged in the functioning of the machine when hay having a relatively high moisture content was baled. A need therefore has existed for improvements of a hay bale stacking device so that it will operate consistently and efficiently regardless of hay moisture content or field conditions.